Havana Hideout, Lake Worth. Long before food dude Guy Fieri gave Chrissy Benoit’s Keys-y, funky, mostly open-air dive major national exposure, locals knew that chasing a brace of deliciously sloppy fish tacos or her tropical version of shepherd’s pie with an ice-cold beer or glass of excellent sangria was one of the best and most relaxing ways possible to while away a balmy South Florida afternoon.
Jimmy’s Bistro, Delray Beach. Jimmy Wells’ homey little 18-seat restaurant is the antithesis of the glitzy new eateries that have sprung up all along Atlantic Avenue. But what it lacks in flash it more than makes up for in neighborly charm and simple but well-executed fare like a salad of ripe tomatoes and house-made mozzarella and an elegant rendition of the classic New Orleans shrimp etouffee.
Victoria‘s Peruvian Cuisine, Lantana. Peruvian cuisine is beginning to get its due as one of the world’s most varied and exciting cuisines, and after a meal at this modest restaurant in an even more modest Lantana strip mall you’ll completely understand why. Ceviches are a house specialty, though its hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, especially hearty anticuchos and savory goat stew.
Greek Bistro, Delray Beach. If your idea of a Greek restaurant is a place where you go to eat rather than dance on tables, ogle jiggly belly dancers and have your eardrums blown out by music loud enough to shatter glass, than this plain-Jane eatery is for you. The spanikopita and keftethakia (amazingly fluffly golf ball-sized beef meatballs) are alone reason to skip those other guys and have dinner here.
Fran’s Chicken Haven, Boca Raton. Fried chicken so genuinely finger-lickin’ good that fat old colonel would probably stick his head in a vat of boiling-hot oil is all you need to know about this venerable hole-in-the-wall on North Federal Highway. Sure, the place looks every one of its 46 years and the atmosphere is straight out of the DMV but you could eat Fran’s chicken in junkyard and still be happy.
